On Saturday night, the Yankees took ALDS Game 1 with a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Royals.
Juan Soto had a big performance and he may be in for another one despite a difficult matchup in Game 2 on Monday. The Royals will hand the ball to ace Cole Ragans and Salvador Perez will look to help get him some run support.
Read on for my Royals vs Yankees Game 2 player props for the ALDS.
Royals vs Yankees Game 2 Player Props
- Cole Ragans Over 5.5 Strikeouts (-130, BetMGM)
- Juan Soto Over 1.5 Hits + Runs + RBI (-115, DraftKings)
- Salvador Perez Over 1.5 Total Bases (+125, BetMGM)
Cole Ragans Player Props: How to Back the Royals' Ace
On Tuesday, Ragans made his postseason debut against the Orioles — and the moment was not too big for him.
The left-hander tossed six scoreless innings, scattered four hits and struck out eight. Now, he faces a Yankees team that was 22nd in strikeout rate against left-handed pitchers.
However, this line still may be a bit low.
Ragans has struck out six batters in 26-of-33 starts this season, good for a 79% hit rate. He has hit the over for this line in each of his last six starts and nine of his last 10, including against the Yankees in September.
He has gone six innings in each of his last five starts. The Royals have a rested bullpen following an off-day on Sunday, but Ragans should see the sixth inning — if he does not get shelled early.
Ragans may be able to get much of the work done the first time through the lineup. He has faced seven Yankees hitters that will likely be in the lineup tonight and he has struck out six of them at least once, fanning Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton twice.
Ragans is +300 for eight strikeouts and he has done so in four of his last 10 starts.
Juan Soto Player Props: Soto Could Be a Problem for Ragans, Royals
One hitter that Ragans will have his hands full with is the aforementioned Soto.
In his playoff debut with the Yankees, Soto went 3-for-5 with a double. Dating back to the regular season, Soto has hit this line in eight of his last nine games. He also has hit this line in 10 of his last 13 games against the Royals.
In the regular season, Soto was essentially the same hitter against left-handed pitchers, hitting .278 and posting a .966 OPS with 13 home runs and 42 RBI. One of those home runs came against Ragans — Soto is +425 on BetMGM to hit another tonight.
Soto hit this line in Game 1 despite not scoring or driving in a run, but that likely does not remain the case.
In 30 career postseason games, Soto is hitting .276 with seven home runs, 21 RBI and 19 runs. He is averaging 2.43 hits + runs + RBI per game in the postseason.
Salvador Perez Player Props: Royals Catcher Rakes Against Lefties
Perez has recorded a hit in seven of his last eight games. In the last three games, he has been limited to just a single. However, I like his chances of getting an extra base tonight.
Against Carlos Rodon, Perez is 12-for-26 (.461) with a double, three home runs, nine RBI and a 1.328 OPS. Perez had a higher batting average (.297) and OPS (.852) against left-handed pitchers in the regular season. He also had nine home runs and 25 RBI against them.
Meanwhile, Rodon gave up 27 doubles, three triples, and 28 home runs to right-handed batters in the regular season.
He gave up two home runs in his last start against the Royals. One of those home runs was by Perez and the veteran catcher finished 3-for-4 on the day.
Perez has hit just one home run since, but he has a matchup to break that drought tonight. He is +350 on FanDuel to hit one tonight.
